The Misunderstanding
by Yukiko-sama
Summary: The only thing standing between her and freedom is a creaky, old table and the most annoying man on the face of the planet.


This is just a quick drabble (I suppose that's what it would be called.). It was a mini-plot bunny poking at my brain for the last two days so I decided to whip it (Whip it, good! *dances around the room to DEVO*) out. It doesn't really have anything meaningful in it, but maybe someone else will enjoy reading it as much as I did in writing it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters. No money is being made off of this story, and is purely in existence for my own selfish amusement.

The Misunderstanding:

"That attitude of yours will get you nowhere."

She slammed her hands onto the table, glaring at the man who sat across from her, "Same goes for you, bucko!"

Ibiki couldn't help the smile that passed over his lips. "_This one is a spitfire_," he thought.

"Why am I here! What do you want from me! I have done nothing wrong!" She practically spit into his face with the fury of her words.

"I'll be the judge of that."

All Hotaru could think was "_What the hell_?" She had been locked up in this room for over three hours, her patience worn thin. The man before her had only arrived just minutes ago. It was her first encounter with another human being after hours of solitary confinement, and he was completely useless in her quest for answers. Hotaru was entirely baffled by the lack of sense of the situation. One minute, she was minding her own business, and the next she was dragged in by ANBU.

"Morino-san," clenching her fists she paused, praying for an ounce of patience. "Do you even have proof for whatever it is you have me here for?"

The silence only managed to irritate her more. Ibiki continued to smirk with his hands folded in front of him. "_Smug Bastard_."

Just before Hotaru could go off on another tangent, another man entered the room, handing a stack of files to the other. The newcomer leaned in relaying a message in hushed tones. Without a word, Ibiki rose, the other man following him out the door. Leaving Hotaru alone in the room, a rush of heat overtook her as she seethed. Still no answers as to why she was here.

Half an hour had passed as she continued to fume in silence over her treatment by the shinobi. The soft "click" from the doorknob caught her attention; its sound deafening in the quiet of the room.

Figuring the same interrogator would return for another round of banter, she was disappointed when a female entered, holding a bag.

A wave of relief suddenly washed over Hotaru as she realized it was her confiscated belongings.

"Please tell me that bag brings good news," she said with a wry smirk.

The female shinobi managed to look abashed, surprisingly forthcoming with her response unlike her predecessor. "I'm terribly sorry, Ishikawa-san. We seemed to have made a mistake. Your items are being returned and you will be free to go."

"Will be?" Hotaru's eyebrow lifted, nonplused about its implication.

"Ah-," the female bowed her head. "Morino-san requested you wait."

With this said, the shinobi sat down.

"Great. More waiting, " Hotaru huffed.

The shinboi managed an unprofessional giggle, "He-he wanted to send you a formal apology from the one responsible for this unfortunate mishap. Something about embarrassment, teaching a lesson."

"Mmph," she responded, folding her arms over her stomach. "And I suppose I won't get an answer as to why I was held against my will here." It was really more of a rhetorical question. She was well aware of the rumors about ANBU and their penchant for secrecy.

"I'm afraid not, Ishikawa-san. Our jobs do not allow us to freely divulge information to the general public."

Hotaru managed to scratch the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath to help dispense the wave of emotions she felt only moments ago. Then she thought of the man from before and her temper clenched on stubbornly, warning her of the oncoming headache destined to plague her if she didn't let it go. She knew he was just doing his job, but something about that guy and his stupid smirk annoyed the hell out of her.

Sighing and rubbing her temples, she comes to the resolution that dwelling on such frivolous things would do her no good. What's done is done, and she would soon be rid of this place and return to her simple life without further interruption.

"_Really_," she thought. "_I'm getting too old for this foolishness_."

Both women had fallen into light conversation about the comings and goings of the village when the door opened. Her tormentor, as she had nicknamed him, walked in behind a young, masked man. The tension around the latter was clear with his ramrod straight posture and clenched fingers. On a side note, she wondered if that was how she looked when Morino was preparing to interrogate her.

On the other hand, said man had a clear look of irritation. His face looked ready to explode. Hotaru couldn't seem to help the tinge of self satisfaction. "_Serves him right_," she childishly sung in her mind.

The door was closed rather roughly, causing Hotaru to jump. "Was that really necessary?" She lifted her eyebrow condescendingly.

All she received was a grunt.

The young, masked man was suddenly shoved in front of Hotaru by Morino. She stood up, her chair screeching across the floor as it was shoved back by her legs. "Hey! No need to rough house, Morino," she glared. This guy was a jerk. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

His left cheek twitched.

The female shinobi covered her hand with her mouth, attempting to hide the upturn of her lips.

Morino turned to her and made a small motion with his hand, dismissing her from the room. Without a word, the young woman got up and left, but managed a quick wave to Hotaru before exiting.

Turning to the masked shinobi, Morino glared and cleared his throat impatiently. It sounded absolutely menacing. How one could make it sound so ominous mystified her.

Hotaru turned to the young Anbu and waited patiently. If she didn't let this progress now, the old man would never stop pestering the boy and herself for that matter.

"I apologize, Ishikawa-san. My own stupidity put you in this unfortunate situation," the masked shinobi stated, bowing politely.

Her face softened and she rested her hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't so bad—'til this old bat showed up," she said jokingly, her thumb jerking in Morino's direction.

Hotaru could feel the poor kid start to sweat under his uniform, the heat permeating into her hand. She didn't bother looking over at Morino, she was pretty sure his eyes were shooting daggers her way.

"Anyways—," she dragged on, "We all make mistakes. At least no real harm was done, ne?"

At this, the man nodded quickly, his shoulders relaxing in relief. "_Youngsters._"

* * *

"_Annoying_, " Ibiki thought. Since that woman first opened her mouth he could feel a headache coming on. It was like listening to nails on a chalkboard. Never before had anyone grated on his nerves. Not even Uzumaki Naruto could manage to piss him off as quickly as this woman had.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, he made his way out of his office and towards the lobby of the building. He'd have to file a report on this little mishap. How one of his own had managed to screw up this bad irked him. The kid was young, but he held so much promise.

A part of Ibiki was embarrassed by it. Having people know of this little incident wouldn't bode well. It just made things worse since a civilian was involved. "_This gossip will spread like wildfire, no doub_t." He grimaced.

People were quickly dodging Ibiki in the hallways, sensing the darker than usual atmosphere surrounding the man.

Slowly, he ground his teeth together as a small group of shinobi scattered like mice near the building's entrance. Without a glance in their direction, he strode outside, the sun hitting his face with such ferocity. He felt comforted by its violent rays.

Squinting his eyes, he looked beyond the road and nearly tripped over air. "_Fuck me_." He thought, dropping his head back, closing his eyes at the heavens in contempt.

Was it too much to ask for her to just disappear off the face of the earth?

"Morino-san." It was like hearing acid dripping onto metal.

"Ishikawa-san," he said without stopping. Try as he might, he couldn't help but spare a quick glance at her. He immediately regretted it. The arrogant smirk on her face only managed to make his stomach curdle.

"_I hate that woman_."


End file.
